Gijs de Bruin, 98 Sparks’s Co-founder commented, “Jiachao is the kind of athlete that perfectly represents the 98 Sparks mission of empowering the human spirit. His persistence, dedication, and drive are the kinds of attributes we look for in all of our partners. We are very excited to support Jiachao and can’t wait to see what he does in Tokyo.”
Jiachao Wang (born September 22, 1991) is a one-armed Chinese swimmer who won gold in the 4×100 relay race and 2 silver medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.
Jiachao was always extremely curious and bold. He grew up in a small town in Yunnan Province of Southwest China. When he was five, he climbed into an electricity pole. This burnt him so badly that he lost his left arm.
“I learned to accept that I would have to live out the rest of my life with only one arm. I had to learn how to do basic tasks all over again, like putting on clothes, lacing up shoes, just to name a few.”
Jiachao Wang, circa 1998, shortly after he lost his arm at the tender age of 6
His parents were very protective of him, but he wasn’t going to accept pity from anyone. He was a fearless dare-devil and didn’t allow his handicap to stop him from doing what he wanted. “When I was six, I snuck out of the house to go to the river,” says Jiachao. “My parents forbade it, but I really wanted to swim, so I went anyway.” After he taught himself to swim, he used his friends’ bicycles to learn how to ride. It was this persistence and curiosity that lead Jiachao to become the accomplished athlete he is today.
Jiachao competes in more than just swimming. He is an active participant in the Exterra World Championship, an off-road triathlon. Undaunted by his injury, he refuses to race in the physically challenged division. In 2017 he raced in the 25-29 open category coming in 11th out of 46 participants in the swim. He swims 10K daily and is a sports studies major at Yunnan Normal University in Kunming.
In the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Jiachao will participate in the triathlon which consists of a 750 meter swim, 20 kilometer bike ride, and a 5 kilometer run. Winning will make him the first Chinese Paralympic champion of two different disciplines.
Jiachao was chosen to carry the torch through Yunnan in the run-up to the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China. He was given a Contribution Award at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing and at the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China. During his career he has also been awarded the May 4th Youth Medal by the Yunnan provincial government in China.
Jiachao met our co-founder Nic Pannekeet through his coach, Peter in Kunming. China currently does not have its own Paralympic team and won’t be participating in the 2020 games in Tokyo. This means Jiachao must compete on his own in Paralympic races throughout the world and cover his expenses. 98 Sparks’s sponsorship will help Jiachao bear the financial burden of his travels, accommodations, equipment, training and everything he needs to become a champion.
Jiachao believes this sponsorship is about more than just him participating in the Paralympics. He hopes that it will create awareness and inspire more people to help others fulfill their dreams.
(Left to right) Jiachao Wang, Nic Pannekeet, Gijs de Bruin, & Job van Schelven at the contract ceremony December, 2018
